First, I have to start out this blog explaining the pictures. Yesterday morning, I invited my mom over to play in the snow with us. I dressed the boys up in the typical layers and once she arrived, we put on their snowsuits. My mom helped zip Caleb up, and he immediately fell over. It reminded me of the scene from "The Christmas Story." We giggled at the fact he couldn't move, and he laughed, too. The rest of the pictures are from our snow-playing fun.
Backing up to Monday, the boys & I did our typical routines in the morning (honestly I can't even really remember what we did) and that night we went over to our friends' Chris & Lisa's house for supper. Lisa & I had been doing a Beth Moore Bible study, and we were overdue for finishing the last session. Since Chris normally works nights but was filling in on day shift, Lisa invited our whole family over there so Chris & Shawn could hang out, the kids could play together (which they all get along amazingly well) and Lisa & I could finish our video after dinner. She baked homemade chicken corn pie, which was really tasty and I think this last video session was by far the best one of the entire Bible study. We saw new insight into the story of John 8 and the woman who was caught in the act of adultery and Jesus told the Pharisees that whoever was without sin could cast the first stone. Then He told her that He didn't condemn her but to go and leave her life of sin. The new revelation was in His writing on the ground... it's a little long to share here, but it was really cool. We had a fun night with friends. :)
Tuesday night my hairdresser who I just adore (thanks for referring her to me, Becca!) got me in so I could get my hair done before Christmas. My appointment had been the previous Tuesday, but I called her in advance and asked if there was any way to switch it since I was recovering from surgery. She took me the night before she was flying out to Florida for Christmas with her family, and I really appreciated it. She's so quick and so good! :) Grandpa Georgia offered to watch the kids for us so Daddy could work a little late, so I invited him over for dinner first. I baked stuffed shells that our mentor from MOPS had made and given us after my surgery. They were AMAZING! She included salad and bread and cookies and everything was delicious. Grandpa played the gingerbread Candyland game with the boys, watched one episode of Curious George and played the "sleeping" game where the boys jumped on him (he was laying on the floor playing with them) and he would wake up with a start. The boys LOVE that game. :) He said they were both good, but Caleb would steal Joshua's toys and drive the Bean crazy. Yep, that's Caleb pushing buttons! After my hair appointment was over, I went to the 'ghetto' Walmart and finished my stocking stuffers for my handsome hubby. He beat me home then and relieved Dad, who was here about an hour or so without us.
After we got home, I quickly changed into my PJ's while Shawn got the boys into theirs and then I told the boys that I would make them a special 'hot chocolate treat.' Joshua was thrilled, and he helped me make it. We warmed milk and then stirred in the diet hot cocoa mix, then made it more calorie intensive by adding whip cream. We took our special drinks downstairs (so I put lids on the kids' cups) and we watched the Charlie Brown Christmas movie as a family. The kids, especially Joshua, thought that hot chocolate was great and enjoyed the movie. Soon it was bedtime for them and Shawn & I got to talk for the first time in a few days... I mean really talk and not just the "how was your day" etc. It's important to always keep communication open, and we stayed up pretty late talking. I love my hubby!
Wednesday - the eve of Christmas Eve we started off playing in the snow. It was way too powdery to be able to make a snowman, so I dug out a sand pail and we made a little wall of bucket-shaped snow. Poor little Caleb couldn't move in his outfit, but I don't think he was cold!
I, in the meantime, was wearing so many layers that I decided to wear Daddy's coat and hat. It's more important to be warm than look good when it's time to play outside, right? Grandma brought milk with her, since I had used the last of ours on our hot chocolate and breakfast that morning. She went home after our outdoor fun, and eventually the kiddos took naps in the late afternoon (later than normal). The timing of my day worked out perfectly. I had time to get ready, clean the house and do some writing before Daddy got home from work. We had asked the babysitter to come so we could do a special Christmas date night. Lisa & Chris had invited us to Hershey to look at lights and eat out, but since we had already asked the babysitter, we weren't able to make it. Bummer! We'll have to try to go next year. Miranda came and we asked her her preference for dinner, so they ended up eating pizza. We went to Carabba's to use the last of our gift card. The food was delicious, but again it's the company that made the night special. We went home early but still paid her good money and gave her a little Christmas gift.
When we got home last night, we put together Joshua's little froggy game from Grandma Good and the four of us played it. It's next to impossible to get the froggy's to land on the tree by flinging them off their lily pads. Joshua tells himself he's doing a great job even though he didn't land a single one, Daddy & I were getting testy as our frogs would go anywhere but the tree and only rarely go where they were meant to, and Caleb was the smartest of all - he abandoned the lily pad and just put the frogs where they belonged. So, he always had the most froggies on the tree. Haaa!!! I called my Dad to see if he'd like to watch National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation movie with us. He said sure, so he headed over as we got changed in our jammies. When he got here, we started the movie, one of my all-time favorites.
Here are pictures of our snowball wall we made with the sand bucket.
After Grandpa left, we waited the arrival of our train table I bought off Craig's List. The girl didn't show up until 10:30 pm, but at least it was in time for Christmas. It's huge, and we're about out of place to hide things. I'm glad it will be time tonight to get everything out and put it "under" the tree.
This morning after I read Joshua Luke 2 (the story of Jesus' birth), we went to Grandpa's new apartment to check it out and help him with something he couldn't do himself, and then we got our groceries for our Christmas gathering tomorrow. Afterward, we came home to let the kids nap. I read Joshua his new book from Great Grandma Good about the donkey who witnessed Jesus' birth (following closely from the story in the Bible we read that morning, the story told of how he saw the shepherds and wisemen and Simeon & Anna, etc.). While they were asleep, Great Grandma Good came over and Shawn hooked up her iPod. It was nice to visit with her. Soon she was off to the LCBC Christmas Program and we're about to head out ourselves...
Oh, you better watch out, you better not cry, you better not pout, I'm telling you why....
SANTA CLAUSE IS COMING TO TOWN!!!!
I honestly think I'm more excited than the kids this year...can't wait to watch them open their gifts and see that Santa came with presents. :) :) :) MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE!!!
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